Review: Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Free 8 Hour Cream

I still have the first tube of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream that I ever bought, there's still some left, and it's still perfectly useable.  Yes, I'm a skank, but, well, this stuff lasts forever.  Something else that lasts forever is the scent!  8 Hour Cream is the Marmite of skincare, you either love it, or hate it.  I freely admit, I go through phases of both, the scent is an acquired taste (it's a herbally-linament kind of a thing), and there can be some times where the scent is just too much to bear, so I'd use something else.

So, I was delighted when I heard they were bringing out a "fragrance free" version of 8 Hour Cream! It's a great multi-purpose balm, less natural, admittedly than some of the other balms you've seen on the blog recently, as it has a mineral oil base, but I do find it surprisingly useful, and moisturising, hence having had a tube around (I've bought, and used up others, but I like the retro packaging of my original tube!) for the best part of 20 years ...

Anyhoo, after using the "fragrance free" version for a while, I think the name is a bit of a cheat.  Whilst the fragrance is very definitely a world away from the original "Marmite" fragrance, it's very still a fragranced product, just a whisper rather than a shout.  It's a little sweeter, a little rosier, and very much muted, but it's still there.  It's still, seemingly, identical in formulation to the original though, in colour, texture and use, which is a nice change in a reformulation!

I'd recommend this is you're a fan of the original but have difficulties with the scent, or if you want to try 8 Hour Cream, but have been put off by tales of the scent, but, I must warn you, if you're expecting something that has no scent whatsoever, then you may be disappointed.

The Fine Print: PR sample.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Review: Lanolips Golden Ointment

I make no bones about the fact that I'm a big fan of Lanolips, I own every shade they have of the coloured balms, and I use the 101 Ointment very regularly too.  I'm not plagued with particularly dry skin on my body (I don't even use body lotion - sorry!), so it's taken me a while to get around to trying the Golden Ointment, which is the latest addition to their body-product range, but I'm glad I finally have tried it, because it's rather wonderful stuff.


Initially I thought this might make a great treat for MrLippie's scarily dry and scaly elbows, but he's taken to using his face moisturiser on those, and it's working pretty well, to be honest (please don't ask about my reaction to the fact that he's been washing his face with his L'Occitane shower gel though), so I've been using it on my cuticles and my exceptionally dry feet.


My cuticles have been dreadful for the last month or so, I've no idea what's been going on with them, but, after the first application of this, the redness, splitting and peeling was soothed, and after 24 hours or so you'd barely know how dreadful they were the day before.  It's practically a miracle worker!  It's not been quite so miraculous on my feet, I must admit (probably because the skin is thicker, now I come to think of it), but it does mean that my feet aren't as scaly this year as MrLippie's elbows usually are!


It's a very thick, very sticky ointment that does take some working into the skin, and you do need to leave yourself a few minutes for it to finish sinking in, but when it does, your skin is left feeling like it has a silky coating, and this can be rather addictive, if you use it, for example, as a handcream or something.  It's not recommended for use as a lip balm, btw, and I can see why.  It doesn't have a strong scent, which is surprising as one of it's main ingredients is manuka honey - known for its healing properties -, and the moisturisation seems to last a good long while.  Its packed full of vitamin E too, so I have a feeling it would work well in helping to heal scars.


I'd use this as a specialised healing treatment for particular patches of dry and irritated skin, as well as a treat for my cuticles and feet, rather than the more multi-purpose uses of the Lanolips 101, but it's highly recommended.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Review: Suti Purity Balm

This is a little pot of gorgeous.  After my unfortunate skin-burning accident recently, I was lucky enough to be contacted by Suzannah Jenkins of Suti, and she suggested that their Purity balm might be able to help.  She was right, and I'm very grateful.

Suti is a British brand, produced in partnership by Suzannah and her business partner Tina Steadman, together they aim to bring a wholly natural skincare brand, founded on the principles of aromatherapy, homeopathy, organic farming and crystal healing.  Think what you like about some of those - and I have to admit that my own feelings on some of them are mixed to the point of being contradictory* - you can't argue that sustainably-sourced, responsibly-produced products which are ethically tested are a bad thing, so don't even try.  Suti are all of those things, and I applaud them for it.

Personally, what I care about in my skincare is results, and for my recently sore, blotchy and (accidentally) badly-treated skin, this gloriously moisturising, soothing and calming balm definitely does what it says on the tin.  It promises to be naturally healing, and strengthening, whilst calming and soothing irritated, inflamed and blemished skin.  I've found that it does all of those things, whilst also not being heavy or cloying or greasy.

Containing a blend of sunflower, sesame and apricot kernel oils,  alongside unrefined shea butter (which leads to this balm's distinctive slightly grainy appearance), it also contains chamomile, calendula, and lavender extracts to calm skin that's having a bad face day. This has worked wonders on my blotchiness and I admit, I'm a tiny bit in love with the stuff.  It has a wonderful slightly herbal-menthol smell - which is actually from the lavender - and I just scoop a little from the jar (a very little) emulsify it in my hands, and then gently pat it into my skin, whenever it needs a healing treat.

More than reasonably priced at £22 for a 50g pot, which will last you practically forever (I've been using a tiny, tiny sample pot for several weeks now, and haven't even used half of it), this is a product that, if Get Lippie had a hall of fame, this would have a permanent place in it.  It's certainly going to have a permanent place in my bathroom from now on, which is almost the same thing ...

* My mum is a reiki-master/aromatherapist/reflexologist who works in the NHS.  She thinks a lot of complementary therapies are b*ll*x, to be honest, but they help the people who believe in them, so that's why she does it.  I ... reserve judgement ... to be honest.

The Fine Print Sample sent direct from Suti, and I shall be eternally grateful. 


his post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Review: Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm

I said yesterday that I don't double-cleanse as a rule, but when I do, I prefer my second cleanse to be a scrubby one.  This Micro Exfoliating Balm from Oskia is just perfect for those "need a deeper cleanse right now" moments.

Oskia products are rich in a sulphurous compound known as MSM, which has lots of skincare benefits for all kinds of skin, particularly sensitive skins, and the Micro Exfoliating Balm also contains  sweet almond oil, rosehip oil, and kukui nut oils, alongside zinc and vitamin E.  As you can imagine from this list, it's very healing, and feels wonderful on the skin,

Opening the jar, you're greeted with a cheerful effervescent scent, reminscent of sherbert fountains, it's lovely!  The balm itself is white and is full of tiny, tiny grains which are barely visible to the naked eye (that'll be the "micro" component then ...).

To use, you scoop out a tiny amount from the jar, emulsify it slightly between your palms, then massage - gently - the resulting grainy oil to your face.  Then, you add a little water to the balm, which will turn it into a milky lotion, and continue massaging into your skin.  Personally, I use the pure balm on the t-zone area, then, once I've added a little water, I move ono massaging the rest of my face, as that usually need far less exfoliation than the t-zone.  Please don't get it in your eyes though.  Remove it either by rinsing or with the facial cloth of your choice.

For a gentle, yet thorough exfoliation, it's hard to beat this little jar of loveliness.  I do think it's a little over-packaged in all honesty - I was disappointed at the size of the jar when I opened the box, I can't deny it -  but I like the fact that the products are as natural as possible, and the entire range is safe to use throughout pregnancy, unlike quite a few more essential-oil based ranges.  I'm not expecting, by the way, but this sort of information is always handy for some of my readers who might be.

Again, following on from yesterday's balm, this is another pricey one at (again) £46 for a 50ml jar, (which should last a good few months, even with regular use) but this is definitely a product - and a company - that gets the Get Lippie seal of approval. 

Fine Print:  PR Sample.


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Review: Omorovicza Thermal Cleaning Balm

I'm slightly in love with balms at the moment.  After I burned my face off with a facemask the other week, I've been giving my face some TLC, so this week, I'm showing you my favourite balm products from my collection.

I'll start off with this little black beauty from Omorovicza.  I've long been fascinated by the idea of the Thermal Cleansing Balm from the Omorovicza range, mainly because it's black admittedly (my inner goth is fascinated), but I've been seeing a few reviews of the range around some of my trusted blogging buddies, so thought it was time to take the plunge.

Based on the mineral healing properties of the thermal spas in Budapest, the thermal cleansing balm gets the unique colour from Hungarian Moor Mud, which is rich in magnesium, contains sweet almond oil to avoid stripping the skin, and is scented - oh most heavenly scented! - with orange blossom.  It's possibly the most luxurious-smelling cleanser I own, and I find myself burying my nose in the jar every time I use it.

To use it, you scrape a small amount from the jar (and a little really does go a long way), emulsify it between your palms, then apply the resulting liquified balm to your face and massage it into your skin, then, using either a damp muslin cloth or a face flannel, remove it, again, whilst massaging your face.  It's not perfect for removing eye makeup, in all honesty, so I'd suggest you use a separate eye-makeup remover.  I love that you can see grains of the mineral-rich mud in the balm when you emulsify it, and the scent really makes this a wondrous cleansing experience.

I find that a single cleanse is sufficient with this (I very rarely double cleanse anyway, I have to say), and my skin is left soft, supple and glowing afterwards, with no dryness or taut-feeling.  It is on the price-y side at £46 a jar, but this will last a very long time, and it's rocketed to the top of my re-purchase list.

 The Fine Print: PR Sample.


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.